Saturday Song....

I've not heard this song in years, but it just played on the radio.  I love the band anyway - a couple of their albums are major features of my driving music in the summer... but this song is one that my pacifist self totally gets the lyrics of.....

On not getting the job upgrade.....

Over a week after the interviews, I found out today that I didn't get the job upgrade....

Now, I had lots of wonderful people encouraging me, thinking positive thoughts for me and even other candidates convinced that I would get it.... I didn't.... and you what....... that's fine.

I am not upset, or disappointed, in fact, if I think about it I am rather relieved....... it's not that I couldn't do the job, or didn't want it (I wouldn't have applied if that was the case), I am just not sure that now would have been the right time for me.

In effect, I was rejected, but really, it doesn't feel like a rejection at all.  Sure I've had job interviews where I didn't get the job before, though to be honest only 2 of those... one I minded bitterly about the other I couldn't have cared less.  This just feels, I don't know, kind of right.

I got more worked up about my last round of edits to be honest...... which probably goes to show I am more personally involved with my writing than I am with my job...... I don't think that's a bad thing, after all the writing comes from within, the job as much as I enjoy it, is something I do to pay the bills and keep me off the streets.

I think for now I shall just enjoy the working day and come home and enjoy being more creative, whether that is writing or knitting (okay, or baking that sometimes gets creative, particularly when you've forgotten half the ingredients you need)......

Better late than never... things to do this week...

I meant to do this on yesterday... but a serious bout of insomnia on Sunday night meant that I couldn't string a coherent sentence together verbally let alone get my fingers to co-operate with making a blog post...

The weather here has been wonderful for the last week... but alas today we have clouds and that feeling of approaching thunder... joy...

I also have a sneezing cat... which I am hoping will resolve itself in the next couple of days or we shall be heading to the vet :(

So.... what happened last week...

Work - Yeah, well Wednesday was hell - okay, so my appraisal was fine and I'm a good employee, but they won't be announcing who got the upgrade posts till Friday and quite frankly the wait is a nightmare!  I've got a busy week this week acting up as my team leader is on holiday... but on the plus side, it was a colleague's birthday today.... there were cupcakes...

Knitting wise -The May project is finished... rejoice!!

Writing - I've done some plotting for the LT3 submission and some research (read oggling pictures on the net... I need a man with  a specific tattoo)....I've also, for fun, started writing a very short D/s piece which my writing cheerleaders (enablers!) have been pushing for...I don't think I write contemporary that well, so we shall see what happens with that.

House - the plumber never showed up.... but as the last post shows... the gardener did :)  I still haven't got over the novelty of looking out onto a tidy and neat garden!

Reading - I read my bingo book, am reading another challenge book... but the PIFM book still lingers... it's just really not my thing.

And so to this week....

Work - Just need to get through to Friday with my right eyebrow intact... yeah, seriously, chances aren't high...

Writing - finish the D/s piece and send it to my beta readers and get started with the LT3 piece

Knitting - I'm working on a scarf at present (fairly basic feather and fan lace) which was promised for last Christmas... yeah, I know... anyway, I am banning myself from the computer after 7.30 pm at night which means I get a good couple of hours of knitting in most evenings whilst I watch TV or talk on the phone.

House - chase the plumber!  well not literally, cos that would scare him..... I still need to do sme serious housework in preparation for the dog sitter coming

Reading - yeah, I will do some...

Other things I need to do include - make a sign for the Readers Only table I am running at the UK meet and check my sister has got the flip chart and marker pens for me.  Bath and groom the dogs now that their seasons are all over.

Could be a busy week.... well... what's left of it!

I appear to have a garden....

Okay, so it's always been there... and when I moved in it was a lovely neat thing, with a lawn, and borders and shrubs.... it also has lots of flowers to... and whilst they've all been there for the last 5 years they've been struggling against natures attempts to turn it all into a wild flower meadow....

I'd promised myself I would get someone to sort it out - as much as I love having a garden and pottering about in it having arthritis and lymphodema means that it's impossible to really do anything myself .... well that and the whole me and power tools thing.......

So, before today the garden looked a little like this......


 ---> this alleges to have been a lawn... yeah... though I think it's more a dandelion breeding colony...

Above is the over grown hedge and shrubs together with the branches of a chopped down tress

And to the right is the beech hedge at the front of the house... which I think was attempting a take over of the entire place.... the shrub in the middle of the lawn is also trying to get in on the act....



Anyway..... after two visits from my very nice friendly gardener (who didn't laugh at the state of the garden) it looks like this....

 Yep - this is the same beech hedge... trimmed into submission,.... and a lawn.... and the same shrub but now rather cut back....

I've a front garden now that doesn't suggest some mad witch women lives here!

and on to the back....




On the left is the lilac tree and hydrangea at the side of the house, and you can actually see the shed now.... before it was covered in some mad growing shrub


on the right is the holly bush and lawn! in the back garden to the right hand side... you couldn't really see any of that for the brambles before

and finally, below is the footpath that I'd actually forgotten as there at all as it was completely covered in weeds and grass....  

The gardeners will be back next week to have another hour or so getting more done, mainly seeing what is what once it's settled and trimming the lawn off again..... and spraying lots of weed killer to get rid of my dandelions!  Then they move to fortnightly visits to keep on top of it and make it a garden I can go and sit out in without disappearing under the shrubbery!

It'll all end in tears........

Today has been the day from hell......  seriously the Goddess of scheduling things really screwed up on me this time!

I knew it was coming, which didn't help, and meant I got just about zero sleep last night....

It started with an interview for a job upgrade.... we are having a shuffle round at work and they are expanding the department and looking for new team leaders.  In a moment of, erm, optimism, stupidity, take your pick, I thought I might apply.... okay, yes, I can do the job, but am not 100% convinced I am ready for the responsibility... but yeah, I went for it anyway.  Things didn't start to well when I went to put on my favourite black jacket......... and my thought immediately went to "last time I wore this was Dad's funeral" .... yeah, so I need a new jacket.... I went with a long black cardigan instead.

The interview itself was only about half an hour in which I talked extremely fast but, hopefully, answered all their questions......... they won't announce the posts till a week on Friday.....

Then, I tried to go back and do some work..... but at lunch time, well just after, I had my annual appraisal for my current role.... now you'd think, having been through the process five times since I started here and knowing really it's not a problem at all that I would be fine with this.  Alas no.  Years of working in some not very wonderful firms where their idea of an appraisal was to get you in a room, point out all your faults and tell you how useless you were and how lucky you were to be still employed by them, kind of hangs over me like a black cloud anytime the word appraisal is mentioned.  Suffice to say.... after whittling myself stupid.... it was fine... I am a good and valued employee and all is good.....

So yes, I got through that bit, then just before I left, I was told I may need to go to Bristol for work......... the day before I am due to go to Bristol for the UK meet....... now for most this wouldn't be too much of a problem..... but my dog sitter is booked to arrive on the day work now want me to go down.... and can't come earlier cos it's her birthday....... driving there and back on the Thursday and driving down there again on the Friday will mean my back and leg will probably protest and I'll end up spending much of the weekend in either a lot of pain or having to lie down..... which is so not the plan...... suffice to say, I got a little upset just before I left for the evening...

And then I had an appointment with my counsellor..... always a fun thing... not!  Well it turned into a complete tears and tissues session.... after which I felt completely washed out and ready for nothing but curling up on the sofa and ignoring the world......... only on a Wednesday I am due at mother's for tea...... luckily she talks a lot of sense and although I left early as I am really seriously not good company at least I am in a slightly better frame of mind.... kind of... I feel exhausted and am now killing time till I can go to bed and put today behind me completely!

What's on the agenda this week.....

So, what did I get done last week

Finish the current knitting project – erm... not quite... am getting there... should be done this week... hopefully

If my Love’s Landscapes edits come back, review them and amend then re-submit.   - They did come back... and I dealt with them... and it's all submitted again.

Chase up the plumber - done - he's coming out this week to do the quote and to fit the new cooker! 

Arrange to get the beech hedge at the front of the house cut back - I went one better .... I actually have arrange for a gardener to come round a quote for sorting out the front garden and driveway.  I decided that I needed to take a stand with this because I can't physically manage to do anything more than a little light weeding and only then if it doesn't involve bending down too much - besides which - I have to be very careful not to get any insect bites on my leg as it could cause a flare up.... so there you go.. I am getting a gardener!  Well if he doesn't take one look and burst into hysterical laughing!

Read my PIFM book and one book from the fantasy group’s shifter challenge.  Be finished with these by Friday night ready for bingo. - I read my shifter challenge book, and both my first week and free space for my bingo book.. I looked at my PIFM book and just, no, tisn't my thing... must try harder.

Now to this week....

Work - I have the Wednesday from hell coming up........ It starts at 9 am when I have a job interview for an upgrade on my current role, then at 2 pm I have my annual appraisal for the current role.... and then at 4.45 pm I have counselling......I just want to get through this Wednesday!

Knitting wise - if I finish this project I need to cast on a baby blanket for my soon to be new nephewish due in August

Writing - I need not to pick up an orphaned prompt for the Love's Landscapes event.... what I do need to do is start writing the LT3 submission

House - with the gardener and plumber coming this week I think that one is covered.... though some housework might be a good plan!

Reading - I still need to read the PIFM book - and I need to stop buying books ... with Riptide and Dreamspinner both having sales I have overloaded the Kindle to breaking point!


Looking forward.....

My tickets for the UK GLBT Fiction meet arrived this morning!  The dog sitter is booked and confirmed and I am really starting to get over excited about it now!!

That's about it for right now :) 

Things to do this week..........

Rumour has it that I am highly organised…… I am not actually sure where this rumour started but it’s been following me around for years – well, since my university friends nicknamed me “Filo” (as in Filo-fax) …. Truth is though, really I am not that organised, I also have a tendency to be rather, well not lazy, but willing to put off things until they become urgent.

So I am trying (at the suggestion of the evilness that is my counsellor) to try setting myself weekly and monthly goals ….. and, erm, as I should have started this at the beginning of the month and the start of the week, yep, already late – and of course this has nothing to do with the fact I need to show my counsellor evidence tomorrow (see that word “suggestion”, never trust the counsellor when they say that – they may as well just make it a command in the first place…)

So anyway, my goals for this week……..

Finish the current knitting project – which was mean to be done by the end of April but got put to one side whilst I tried to finish my Love’s Landscapes story.   Decide on this month’s project (either charity hats or a baby blanket – I whittled it down to two already) and cast on.

If my Love’s Landscapes edits come back, review them and amend then re-submit.  If they don’t, then finish outlining the plot for the potential submission for the LT3 call.

Chase up the plumber for a quote for the new central heating and get them to fit the new cooker (which has been sitting in the corner of the kitchen for the last 6 weeks or so – again with the ‘it wasn’t urgent so didn’t get done’ thing…)

Arrange to get the beech hedge at the front of the house cut back before it takes over and turns the house into it’s own city version of sleeping beauty’s castle.

Read my PIFM book and one book from the fantasy group’s shifter challenge.  Be finished with these by Friday night ready for bingo.

Simple goals… but they should be achievable…. hopefully… 

Of course there is a chance I shall just ignore this and sit and read and play on the computer rather than doing the things I ought to be doing…….